There is a significant risk of creating a shallow hydraulic fracture breaching to surface or seabed during well kill or control operations. When shallow gas is encountered while drilling, a heavy mud is pumped into the well for well control. The injection of heavy mud leads to a pressure build-up downhole and, in most situations, the pressure may exceed the formation fracture gradient, resulting in hydraulic fracture of the formation. Furthermore, as some of the injected mud enters the newly created fracture, the fracture may grow larger. If a significant volume of heavy mud is pumped into the well, the hydraulic fracture may reach the surface or seabed, creating a crater or depression on the surface or seabed nearby the rig. Under this scenario, platform stability may be compromised. Furthermore, fracture breach to the surface or seabed may lead to serious environmental impact. The risk of the above scenario is particularly great for wells that may have a high probability of encountering shallow gas and/or when overburden is represented by weak and/or unconsolidated formations.